| No. | Item | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | back the right horse | support the eventual winner |
| 2. | back to the drawing board | start over after failure |
| 3. | bark up the wrong tree | pursue a mistaken idea |
| 4. | bat a thousand | be consistently successful |
| 5. | be a big fish | be important in a group |
| 6. | be a cut above | be better than others |
| 7. | be a dark horse | unexpectedly succeed |
| 8. | be a dead duck | have no chance of success |
| 9. | be a flash in the pan | brief, unsustained success |
| 10. | be a has-been | no longer successful |
| 11. | be a one-hit wonder | succeed only once |
| 12. | be at a dead end | have no way forward |
| 13. | be at your wits’ end | be extremely frustrated |
| 14. | be down and out | be without money or hope |
| 15. | be down on your luck | have bad fortune |
| 16. | be home and dry | be safe from failure |
| 17. | be in hot water | be in trouble |
| 18. | be in over your head | be overwhelmed by difficulty |
| 19. | be on a roll | have repeated success |
| 20. | be on thin ice | be in a risky situation |
| 21. | be on top of the world | feel extremely successful |
| 22. | be on your last legs | near failure or collapse |
| 23. | be out of the woods | past the worst danger |
| 24. | be sitting pretty | be in a good position |
| 25. | be the toast of the town | be widely celebrated |
| 26. | be up a creek | be in serious trouble |
| 27. | bite off more than you can chew | take on too much |
| 28. | bite the dust | be defeated or fail |
| 29. | break even | neither profit nor loss |
| 30. | break new ground | do something innovative |
| 31. | break through | achieve sudden success |
| 32. | bring something off | succeed in doing something |
| 33. | burn out | become exhausted and ineffective |
| 34. | come a long way | make much progress |
| 35. | come into your own | show your best abilities |
| 36. | come out on top | finish as the winner |
| 37. | come through | succeed despite difficulty |
| 38. | come up trumps | turn out very well |
| 39. | fall apart | break down completely |
| 40. | fall at the first hurdle | fail early |
| 41. | fall behind | fail to keep up |
| 42. | fall by the wayside | drop out from failure |
| 43. | fall flat | fail to impress |
| 44. | fall from grace | lose status after wrongdoing |
| 45. | fall on your face | fail embarrassingly |
| 46. | fall short | not reach a goal |
| 47. | fall through | not happen as planned |
| 48. | go all out | try as hard as possible |
| 49. | go belly up | go bankrupt or fail |
| 50. | go bust | become bankrupt |
| 51. | go down a storm | be very well received |
| 52. | go down in flames | fail spectacularly |
| 53. | go far | achieve a lot |
| 54. | go for broke | risk everything to win |
| 55. | go from strength to strength | become increasingly successful |
| 56. | go great guns | do very well |
| 57. | go nowhere | make no progress |
| 58. | go over like a lead balloon | be received very badly |
| 59. | go places | have a promising future |
| 60. | go the distance | finish what you started |
| 61. | go the extra mile | do more than required |
| 62. | go to the wall | be forced into failure |
| 63. | go under | fail or be ruined |
| 64. | go up in smoke | disappear or be ruined |
| 65. | hit pay dirt | find success or profit |
| 66. | hit the big time | reach top success |
| 67. | hit the ground running | start strongly and quickly |
| 68. | hit the jackpot | have great success |
| 69. | hit your stride | perform at your best |
| 70. | keep your head above water | avoid failure; just manage to cope |
| 71. | knock it out of the park | do extremely well |
| 72. | land on your feet | recover well from trouble |
| 73. | learn the hard way | learn through failure or pain |
| 74. | leave no stone unturned | try every possible way |
| 75. | live to fight another day | survive a setback to try again |
| 76. | lose your shirt | lose a lot of money |
| 77. | luck out | succeed by good luck |
| 78. | make a go of it | succeed at something attempted |
| 79. | make a name for yourself | become well-known and respected |
| 80. | make good | succeed after effort |
| 81. | make hay | use an opportunity well |
| 82. | make headway | progress steadily |
| 83. | make it big | become very successful |
| 84. | make it or break it | either succeed or fail completely |
| 85. | make the grade | meet the required standard |
| 86. | make the most of | use fully and wisely |
| 87. | miss the boat | lose a good opportunity |
| 88. | not a snowball’s chance | no chance of success |
| 89. | on the ropes | close to defeat or failure |
| 90. | out of your depth | in a situation too difficult |
| 91. | pass with flying colors | succeed easily and impressively |
| 92. | put your best foot forward | make your best effort |
| 93. | raise the bar | set a higher standard |
| 94. | ride out the storm | endure trouble until it passes |
| 95. | sink or swim | succeed or fail by yourself |
| 96. | the ball is in your court | it is your turn to act |
| 97. | under your belt | achieved and gained experience |
| 98. | up the ante | raise the stakes or demands |
| 99. | up to scratch | good enough; meets the standard |
| 100. | uphill battle | a very difficult struggle |
